You draw faces now
with eyelashes and nostrils
but you still
can’t say your L’s
like how you call our friend
Raura
and she’s a speech therapist
which makes it funnier
but I forgot this quirk today
when our neighbour’s daughter
practiced her front handspring for you
raw with flush and pride
and you looked straight at her and yelled
crap
crap
crap
so that an awful moment
dragged its silence
across the air
before I realized
you were applauding
without your hands
and I told the girl this
but she had already moved on
to a perfect round-off
looking back at you
grass-stained and determined
like any good competitor
to win you over.